1. Technical Field
The present invention is directed toward golf clubs, and more particularly toward an interchangeable shaft golf club assembly.
2. Background Art
In playing the game of golf it is extremely important to the success of a player that the clubs and shafts he or she uses conform to his or her size and physical talents. Golf club manufacturers typically offer only a limited number of club head designs having desired features, such as perimeter weighting and the like, and the clubs are customized to the player by variation in the club shafts. Club shafts typically come in a variety of lengths and stiffness. When a player is fitted to a new set of clubs, the golf professional tests the player's swing to determine an appropriate shaft length and shaft stiffness based upon the player's height and the club head speed the player can generate. The appropriate shaft is then permanently mounted to the club head.
While the conventional method of permanently attaching club heads to club shafts serves well a player who is not changing in physical size or the speed at which he or she is able to propel a club head, this method of attachment provides no flexibility to golfers whose physical size or ability is changing. For example, as a child is growing both in height and strength he or she may need new clubs each year in order to have shafts of appropriate length and stiffness. Because the heads are intended to be permanently affixed to the end of the club shafts, this typically means that the player must replace the entire golf club even though the heads are still perfectly suited to the player's game. Similarly, as a person ages, the club head speed he or she can generate often diminishes, making a more flexible shaft desirable. Again, however, the permanent attachment of club head and shaft often make it necessary for the golfer to replace his or her entire set of clubs while only the shafts actually need replacement.
The present invention is intended to overcome one or more of the problems discussed above.